Eye Nutrition | Calgary Olds Sundre Carstairs

Ask Us About Eye Nutrition

When we eat good food, we feel good. Nutrition supports our health, including eye health. A healthy diet can help our sight and prevent eye diseases. Although eye nutrition can’t solve every eye problem, it’s something you can do at home to boost your eye care.

We’re eye health experts, and that includes the nutrients, vitamins, and foods you need to support your eyes. Talk to our eye care team about eye nutrition.

Book Appointment

Supplements for Eye Health

Sometimes adding nutrients and vitamins to your diet can be challenging. But supplements can make it easier to know you’re getting the right amounts. Many foods have necessary nutrients or vitamins, but not all of it is bioavailable.

Bioavailability refers to the amount of nutrients your body can absorb and use from the food you eat. You may eat your body weight in broccoli but only receive a fraction of the nutrition from it. Multiple factors can impact bioavailability, from cooking methods to freshness.

Supplements provide more precise measurements, ensuring you know how much of each vitamin, nutrient, or protein you’re consuming. Additionally, supplements are often paired with nutrients that help your body absorb vitamins better.

Not sure where to look? Ask us about supplements for eye health.

Eye Nutrition Tips

Adding foods for eye nutrition is easier when you know what you’re looking for. So we have a few tips to share. You can eat these delicious foods as snacks or combine them with other nutritious treats to support your eye health.

Forage for Leafy Greens

Leafy and dark greens, like spinach and kale, are a source of lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants can reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases and protect your eyes from UV light. They also support macula health, slowing the progression of macular degeneration.

Bake some kale chips, munch a crown of broccoli, or mix up a salad to add some delicious greens to your diet.

Eat Your Fill of Fruits & Veggies

Most kids are familiar with parents reminding them to eat their vegetables, but don’t forget healthy fruits can be just as good! Colourful fruits and vegetables, such as grapefruit, broccoli, and strawberries, are rich in vitamin C.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and it’s also essential for making collagen. Collagen is a protein that provides structure to your eyes. Healthy collagen production can prevent and manage eye diseases and conditions, including cataracts and macular degeneration.

Hummus Is a Healthy Snack

When you want to munch, hummus is an easy way to add eye nutrition between meals. Hummus is made from chickpeas, which are a type of legume. Legumes and beans are excellent sources of zinc.

Zinc helps your liver release and deliver vitamin A to the retina. The retina needs vitamin A to help with eye function, including producing melanin to protect your eyes from UV rays.

As a bonus, hummus is great for dipping veggies, adding more eye nutrition to one simple snack.

Splash in Some Sea-life

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, have multiple eye health benefits, including reducing symptoms of dry eye. Fish are a natural source of omega-3s, but you can also choose supplements if you’re not a fan of fishy flavour.

You can find omega-3 fatty acids in foods like:

Cold-water fish (salmon, tuna)
Some grains & nuts (peanut butter, pumpkin seeds)
Oils (canola oil, soybean oil, flaxseed oil)

Think Orange

Instead of thinking go for green, go for orange! Orange foods—fruits and vegetables—gain their colour from beta-carotene, an antioxidant that supports eye health and prevents eye diseases.

You’ve probably heard carrots are good for your sight, and it’s true, but you can also benefit from other orange foods, including:

Apricot
Cantaloupe
Mango
Oranges
Sweet potato

Brightly-coloured fruits and vegetables are also a brilliant addition for eye nutrition. For example, red and yellow foods (like red pepper, tomatoes, bananas) have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits.

Try Turkey

If you partake in a seasonal turkey-themed meal or enjoy turkey year-round, you’ve got a meaty source of zinc. Turkey also contains b-vitamin niacin, which can help protect against cataracts and glaucoma.

How Nutrition Can Help Dry Eye

Nutrition supports multiple body functions, including the quality of your tears. Although water makes up most of your tears, 2% of tears contain electrolytes, proteins, and oils to help spread moisture and prevent tear evaporation.

Eye nutrition can help nourish your eyes and support tear production. For example, omega-3 fatty acids (or fish oil) can help alleviate dry eye symptoms by reducing inflammation and improving the composition of the oily tear layer.

Let’s Talk Nutrition

We’re passionate about every aspect of eye care, including empowering our patients to make healthy choices at home. Whether you need tips about adding healthy food to your plate or are curious about what supplements may benefit you, visit our practice! We can recommend options to improve your eye nutrition.

Contact us today for more eye nutrition.